Visit to Chipping Campden

While I shared the highlights of our trip to Malvern, we also took several day drives into the Cotwolds from our Chipping Campden base. I'll add more photos later, but thought I'd describe some of our Cotswolds highlights.

Chipping Campden: We had reservations for
The Chance B&B, about a ten minute

walk to the village center. Staying in the Hidcote Room, a nicely appointed unit that was separate from the main house, we overlooked a lush green field. The room had everything we needed for an enjoyable stay - large king bed, tea service, in-room fridge, thick bathrobes, nice interior furnishings, fresh pastries placed in our room on several days, good sized bathroom with daily towel service and a wonderful breakfast with coffee, juice, fresh fruit, yogurt and cooked to order hot items. Sally and Paul, the B&B owners, were very friendly and helpful. We enjoyed dinners in the village at Michaels, The Red Lion and Maharaja.

Stratford-upon-Avon: Home of everything Shakespeare. This can be and was an all-day activity. There are five primary spots to visit while in Stratford, all available via a combination entry ticket:

• Mary Arden's House (Shakespeare's mothers house), 
• Ann Hathaway's cottage (family home of Shakespeare's wife), 
• Shakespeare birth place in Stratford.
• Hall's Croft in Stratford (home of Shakespeare's son-in-law and daughter), and
• Nash's House in Stratford (home of Shakespeare's grand-daughter,closed for renovation and Harvard House substituted).

I enjoyed the costumed docents at the Arden farm that described living practices and seeing both how homes were constructed in the past and furnished.

Anne Hathaway's Cottage,
© 2015, R. Ono 

© 2015, R. Ono

Shakespeare's Birthplace, © 2015, R. Ono

© 2015, R. Ono

Hall's Croft, © 2015, R. Ono

© 2015, R. Ono

Mary Arden's House, © 2015, R. Ono

Master's Table, © 2015, R. Ono

Servant's Room, © 2015, R. Ono

© 2015, R. Ono

In addition to visiting the above, we attended a play,  The Merchant of Venice, in the Royal Shakespeare Theater in Stratford. I can't say that I'm attentive enough to catch all the fine details of a Shakespeare script. Perhaps pre-reading the play (and not just the synopsis) would have been more helpful. Also, I was surprised that there was little to no staging and the actors wore present day clothing (including Addidas jackets and sneakers) that threw me a little.

Prior to attending the play, we had dinner at The Vinter, on Sheep Street. A very delicious menu and perfect timing (5:30pm) for a pre-show dinner (7:15pm). Reservations are advised.

Hidcote Manor Gardens: From 1907 to 1930, Lawrence Johnstone, an American, created beautiful gardens on his family estate as separate outdoor "rooms." Now operated by the UK National Trust, the garden has a maze of walkways, gardens and fields to enjoy.

Sudeley Castle: Located deep in the Cotswolds, near Winchcombe, Sudeley Castle was built in the 15th century, though a previous 12th century castle may have existed on the grounds. Hard to tell - records going back that far are dificult to confirm. Queen Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, is

buried on the castle grounds - the only queen buried on privately owned property.

The castle has extensive gardens and fields as well as exhibits sharing the history of Sudeley Castle, Queen Parr, textiles and Richard III. The castle is currently owned by an American, Lady Elizabeth Ashcombe and her children. Apparently, similar to many large UK properties, maintenance costs and taxes result in the estate houses and  gardens being opened up for visitors and events (£14.50 per person).

Broadway Tower: During one of our drives, we had just enough time to stop by Broadway Tower. This castle like structure, built in 1798-99, was not used as an actual castle, but as a folly by the landowner. Located next to the tower is a Royal Observer Corps nuclear monitoring station. Our timing was perfect for taking the last station tour of the day. Climbing down a 14 foot ladder, we reached a concrete bunker about 18 feet by 10 feet in dimensions. In this room were two bunk beds, a toilet, radio equipment, food and water for four days for three people and radiation monitoring sensors. There were 1,563 of these stations built in the UK and operated from 1955 to 1991. Most of these stations have been abandoned with a few of them restored for a step back in time.